The West Bengal Government has repatriated 111 Bangladeshi fishermen detained for illegal fishing in Indian waters.
The release came ahead of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's maiden trip to Bangladesh.
According to reports, Banerjee announced the release of fishermen hours before she left on her three-day visit to Dhaka.
The fishermen were arrested for crossing the international border with six trawlers.
Amlesh Bala, the officer-in-charge of Hemnagar Police Station, handed over 111 fishermen to Aminul Islam, the officer-in-charge of Shamnagar Police Station in Bangladesh.
The release took place in the presence of officials from the Border Security Force (BSF) and personnel of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB).
"Today I was handed over 111 fishermen along with six fishing trolleys in presence of BGB and BSF officials," said Islam in North 24 Parganas district.
More From This Section
Meanwhile, the fishermen said that they were detained and brought to India five months back.
"I was caught when I went for fishing in the sea. My trawler stopped working while I was fishing, then they caught me and brought to India," said Nooru Fakri, a fisherman.
During her visit to Bangladesh, the West Bengal Chief Minister is scheduled to meet President Mohammad Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.